Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Burger Sliders with Goat Cheese & Blackberry Onion Jam

One of my favorite weekend activities, assuming I'm up in time, is heading to the Riverfront Farmers Market. I love taking my time, perusing the fresh produce, flowers, herbs, breads and local products, buying whatever strikes my fancy and figuring out what to do with it later.

This weekend, I came home with vine ripened tomatoes, homemade blackberry jam, Nature's Way goat cheese (the best in my opinion), and of course I had to swing by Great Harvest for a fresh baguette and a big bag of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.

With my farm fresh loot, I decided to make sliders two ways: first, I grilled the tomato and threw it on a classic American version, but the real star of the show? My Sliders with Goat Cheese & Blackberry Onion Jam.

These sliders are total perfection. The sweet, sticky onion jam, slightly crunchy with blackberry seeds, in contrast to the tangy, cool, semi-melted goat cheese? I'm telling you, you need these in your life.

These sliders would be perfect for a tapas party or BBQ, or even full sized for a main course.

Ingredients:

*1.25 lb. ground beef, 85% lean

* Goat cheese

*3c onion, thinly slice (two medium onions)

*1 tbsp. butter

*1 tbsp. olive oil

*2 tsp. sugar

*1 tbsp blackberry jam

*1 tsp. balsamic vinegar

*2 tbsp. water

salt, pepper

*8 ciabatta rolls (I used frozen ones - perfect for sliders)

Begin by caramelizing the onions. Heat a saute pan over medium heat, add butter, olive oil, and onions, and cook until soft and caramel in color (20-30 minutes), stirring often. Once the onions are caramelized, stir in balsamic and blackberry jam, and season with salt and pepper. If the mixture is too thick, add 2 tbsp. of water to loosen it a bit.

To prepare the burgers, season the meat with salt and pepper. Divide into 8 equal patties. Preheat a griddle (you can also use a regular pan or grill) to high heat and cook the patties to desired temperature. Top with goat cheese and onion mixture and serve on ciabatta rolls. Enjoy!